FORMENTERA WILL HOST AN INTERNATIONAL MEETING THAT AIMS TO OUTLINE A ROADMAP TOWARDS A EUROPEAN POLICY FOR THE CONSERVATION OF POSIDONIA

The island has been chosen to be a benchmark in awareness and conservation results

Formentera will host, between 21 and 24 September, the first face-to-face meeting of the Mediterranean Posidonia Network, an initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and Territory and the French Biodiversity Office which aims to outline a roadmap towards a common European policy on the conservation of the marine phanerogam. The meeting was scheduled for last year, but due to the pandemic, it was held online.

Attendees will learn first hand about the policies that are being implemented in the Balearic Islands, a pioneering community in legislating on the conservation of posidonia, as well as the awareness campaigns that have been carried out in Formentera.

“The Balearic Islands are a benchmark in the field of protection of posidonia and Formentera is the best example within the archipelago thanks to various initiatives at the regional and local level,” said the Minister of Environment and Territory, Miquel Mir, who “is confident that if the initiative succeeds it will be a giant step to ensure the conservation of one of the most important habitats in the Mediterranean.”

Mir met up this Wednesday in Marseille with the director of European and International Relations of the French Biodiversity Office, Cyrille Barnérias. At the meeting, the representatives of both institutions shared the key pillars which should be included in a common conservation strategy. These include actions aimed at promoting the installation and use of ecological buoy fields.

The Mediterranean Posidonia Network was born as a result of a meeting held in Greece in November 2019 where representatives of the European Union and most European Mediterranean countries were present. One of the main objectives of the meeting was to create a network of contacts in order to unite synergies for a future European strategy for the conservation of Posidonia. 

Up to now, representatives of eleven countries as well as international organizations such as Med Pan, IUCN and WWF have confirmed their presence in the Formentera Technical Workshop. The organization of this workshop is supported by the European funded Life Marha project. Other collaborating entities are the Consell Insular de Formentera, Whitesand Solutions, Insotel, Trasmapi, Hostal La Savina -Quimera Restaurant, La Mola Rent & more. 

Check out the Technical Workshop Programme at https://medposidonianetwork.com/mpn-technical-workshop-2021/